Dialogue by Mark:

Masterpieces of art come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and styles. Sometimes the artwork is very serious. Other master works are lighthearted, even funny. The painting featured in today's Master's Gallery is by Roy Lichtenstein, an artist who often used his art to poke fun at the world around him. Our comedian of art history, Kim at KidsArt, found this painting titled "Pitcure and Pitcher" at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, New York.

Lichtenstein is best known as a Pop artist. In 1960, a group of American artists invented the Pop Art movement. Their artworks included images from modern culture...things like giant stuffed-cloth sculptures of hamburgers by Claes Oldenburg, paintings of soup cans by Andy Warhol, and Lichtenstein's famous paintings of cartoons from True Romance or adventure comics. Their art made us look at the world around us in a new way.

Lichtenstein always worked carefully, with clean lines and shapes. There are two "pictures" in this painting...the framed picture of a house and a cloud hanging on the wall, and the pitcher of water sitting on the bench. Notice how he included the shadow of the bench on the floor, adding depth and interest to the design. We'll be using the same technique in our drawing today...adding a shadow beneath our Intellectual Insect...so let's get back to work!